For a long time I have been a RAW file shooter but recently I have started to shoot JPEG and to leave my Lumix G9 in iA mode (Intelligent auto) and also make use of my camera’s custom settings function, C1, C2 and C3.

In iA mode the camera sets the optimum settings for the scene allowing me to concentrate on picture taking and makes full use of the technology built into my G9.

I have been impressed by the results I have got when using my camera’s iA function and shooting in JPEG. When using iA it is better to shoot JPEG as part of the optimum settings and processing done by your camera includes the use of picture styles, portrait and landscape for example, picture style JPEG settings would not be captured if you were to shoot RAW.

Of course there are times when using iA is not practical or appropriate and to quickly switch between using iA and other camera shooting modes I have made use of my camera’s custom setting function C1, C2 and C3 as below.

• C1 – Programme mode and (RAW file)
• C2 – Sports (RAW file)
• C3(1) – Portrait (RAW file)
• C3(2) – Wildlife (RAW file)
• C3(3) – In camera HDR (JPEG)

This way I can quickly change between using iA and other camera modes without having to worry about changing my camera settings.

Of course, I always keep an eye on three things when using iA, aperture, shutter speed, and my histogram. I do not worry too much about ISO unless I am shooting in very low light.

In my late 20’s, early 30’s I used to be a professional wedding and portrait photographer.  At the height of the wedding season (May -Sept) we would shoot 300 weddings or more.

We used Bronica, Hasselblad and other medium format cameras. They were analogue cameras and did not have built in exposure meters. The cameras would take 12 shots and then we would need change the film, so we carried a number of spare film backs and plenty of film with us.

We also needed a handheld light meter, a standard, wide, and telephoto lens, flashguns and props such as: umbrellas, lead fishing weights (for holding the brides dress down), reflectors, pegs and filters.

I learnt a lot in those days about photography. There was no chimping, no checking histograms and no second chances. Your exposure, composition, posing, lighting, backgrounds all had to be right. We used to have a saying: “Meter it, frame it, focus it, forget it”. We always used tripods, that way, one you had metered, posed, framed and focused your subject, you could concentrate on getting the right expressions and capturing the right moment through communicating directly with your subject.

We would send our films in bulk to a professional lab for processing and printing. And then, we had to wait a week before seeing the results of our efforts.

These days though, things are different and the digital age is upon us. Most good digital cameras have: histograms, live view, auto white balance, auto iso, auto focus and a number of shooting options such as: aperture and shutter priority, programme mode, manual mode and more interestingly, intelligent auto modes, which differ from camera to camera. Images are captured digitally in either RAW or JPEG format, or RAW and JPEG format and we can switch to our cameras playback mode to instantly view our pictures.

The two pictures bellow were both shot on my Lumix FZ1000. Both are very different subjects but have one thing in common, they were captured using Panasonics iA mode plus technology.

For the picture of our cat (Pistache) the camera switched to portrait mode and focused on her nearest eye to the camera. For the street shot (Quimper, France) the camera’s iA mode switched to night scene adjusting settings accordingly.

I think that Panasonic’s iA mode works well. I will be spending Christmas at Disneyland Paris this year and will be using the iA mode. Why? Because I don’t want to be playing around with my camera settings. I trust the Panasonic iA mode to work in most everyday situations. I don’t want to be thinking about my camera settings, I want to enjoy Disneyland with my family. The iA mode scene recognition works by adjusting many of the camera settings automatically, ensuring that the scene being taken or recorded exploits the cameras technology and the hard work of the engineers and designers.

Would I use iA to shoot a wedding? Absolutely not! I’m going to get out my trusted hand-held incident light meter to pin my exposures, put my camera in manual mode and choose the appropriate shutter, aperture combination for shooting groups or the couple.

Could iA mode handle the shot above and the intricate lighting conditions? maybe, I’m not going to chance it though. I want to be 100% sure of my metering and my exposure settings.

For general photography I find myself using iA mode more and more. However, when I want to refine my picture taking or have more say in how the scene in front of me is interpreted, I know to switch to another mode to get the result I want.

For me the key to photography is in understanding and knowing the limitations of your camera and working with them in whatever mode you happen to be using.